Unvoiced Plosives

Continuing my series on the peculiar sounds we make in English (I previously wrote about That Crazy English “R” at [here] and Those Pesky “Th” Sounds at [here]), today I deal with three English sounds we hear in almost no other language: unvoiced plosives.

As their name implies, and every language has them, plosives are the exploding consonants we hear in words like big, dog, cat, pack, etc.

Three of them – “b, d, and g” – are voiced, meaning the vocal cords vibrate while we make them; but three – “p, t, and k” – are unvoiced, meaning that the vocal cords don’t vibrate. It’s this second set, the unvoiced plosives that are so very different in English.

What’s the difference? Aspiration. Aspiration simply means breath (a word with a crrrazy R and a pesky “th”). In English, when we make “p, t, and k” sounds, a little puff of air immediately follows. Put your hand in front of your mouth and say “p” as if blowing out all your birthday candles in one big puff. When I do it, as an English speaker, a lot of breath pops into my palm. But to my friends and clients around the world, I’m not Paul (aspirated “p”) but Paul (unaspirated). That’s how almost all the rest of the world’s languages pronounce this letter and its two companions, “t” and “k.” So instead of Pop tarts, Teapots, and Candy Canes (aspirated) we hear Pop Tarts, Tea pots, and Candy Canes (unaspirated). To the ears of English speakers, when an Indian friend, for instance, says that phrase, it’s almost as if they have said, Bob Darts, Dee bots, and Gandy Ganes. Almost. We know that the Indian voiceless plosives have their own very attractive quality that’s just as difficult for the English speaker to attempt. May I try? How did I do?

Do you remember the delightful French film Amélie? (See http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0211915/fullcredits.) Amélie, the sweet Parisienne, is trying to find the person who hid a little box of treasure in her apartment many years before she became the tenant. She discovers that his name was Dominique Bredoteau. But she gets the name wrong and searches for someone named “Bretodeau.” In French, like so many languages, the unaspirated “t” is closer to the sound of “d” than in English. (How did I do, French friends?) You see how pay and bay, toe and doe, cap and gap, (unaspirated) can be misheard by English speakers unless you use aspiration to distinguish them from each other. So practice pay and bay, toe and doe, cap and gap using aspiration.

As usual, I’ve composed a challenging sentence to help you practice this strange feature of the English tongue. (And I’ve mixed in some crrrazy English R sounds, and some pesky “th” sounds too, just for fun!)

"We've been using your book here for years. I am buying copies for members of our AEA resident acting company to have for their own collections. Will likely buy more in the future. Love your work and thanks for putting together such an incredible resource. It's been immensely helpful to our actors and our students."

"We've been using your book here for years. I am buying copies for members of our AEA resident acting company to have for their own collections. Will likely buy more in the future. Love your work and thanks for putting together such an incredible resource. It's been immensely helpful to our actors and our students."

https://www.paulmeier.com/testimonials/heres-a-quote/

"Paul Meier’s app — titled 'The Interactive IPA' [search your iTunes app store] — is an easy way to take a reliable IPA resource with you everywhere. The app features all current official phonetic charts, as well as diphthong charts for standard American and British RP, which were developed by Mr. Meier. The user-friendly interactive aspect makes the app a kinesthetic and audiovisual learning aid. The user simply touches the symbol they wish to examine more closely. A detailed description of the symbol pops up and an option to play a sound file, so you can hear, touch, and see the symbol at the same time. The app makes a wonderful addition to classroom use for students in an introduction to speech or a stage-dialects course where the IPA is used."

"Paul Meier’s app — titled 'The Interactive IPA' [search your iTunes app store] — is an easy way to take a reliable IPA resource with you everywhere. The app features all current official phonetic charts, as well as diphthong charts for standard American and British RP, which were developed by Mr. Meier. The user-friendly interactive aspect makes the app a kinesthetic and audiovisual learning aid. The user simply touches the symbol they wish to examine more closely. A detailed description of the symbol pops up and an option to play a sound file, so you can hear, touch, and see the symbol at the same time. The app makes a wonderful addition to classroom use for students in an introduction to speech or a stage-dialects course where the IPA is used."

https://www.paulmeier.com/testimonials/reviews-of-pmds-2/

"I’ve just visited your Website [IDEA] for the first time, at the prompting of a casting director, Carol Dudley. (She was told about it by Tom Wilkinson.) This is a brief note to thank you for setting up such a scholarly, thorough, and incredibly useful service. I had to find Hungarian for a BBC Patrick Leigh Fermor Book at Bedtime. It was 11 p.m., I was due in the studio in ten hours, [and] I had had some Hungarian somewhere once but had lent it out years ago and it never returned. Anyway, you came to the rescue."

"I’ve just visited your Website [IDEA] for the first time, at the prompting of a casting director, Carol Dudley. (She was told about it by Tom Wilkinson.) This is a brief note to thank you for setting up such a scholarly, thorough, and incredibly useful service. I had to find Hungarian for a BBC Patrick Leigh Fermor Book at Bedtime. It was 11 p.m., I was due in the studio in ten hours, [and] I had had some Hungarian somewhere once but had lent it out years ago and it never returned. Anyway, you came to the rescue."

https://www.paulmeier.com/testimonials/reviews-of-idea/

"Paul worked for us on 'Ride With The Devil' as dialect and dialogue coach, developing dialect tapes for all seventy speaking roles, coaching all the actors, and was invaluable in developing a cohesive vocal and dialect design for the U.S. region that was the setting for the film. Many critics praised the film for capturing the romanticism of the era through language, and Paul's contribution through speech, voice, and dialect was crucial."

Ang Lee, Director

2017-10-21T15:33:51+00:00

Ang Lee, Director

"Paul worked for us on 'Ride With The Devil' as dialect and dialogue coach, developing dialect tapes for all seventy speaking roles, coaching all the actors, and was invaluable in developing a cohesive vocal and dialect design for the U.S. region that was the setting for the film. Many critics praised the film for capturing the romanticism of the era through language, and Paul's contribution through speech, voice, and dialect was crucial."

https://www.paulmeier.com/testimonials/11304/

"Your 'Accents & Dialects for Stage & Screen' is a fabulous resource for anyone involved in dialect training for actors — I know of no other contemporary work to compare with its scope and depth. It’s meticulous, exhaustive, and very well organized into a clear and rational step-by-step approach. Those of us with a background in International Phonetics can be grateful that you’ve done so much of the legwork for us. This is a book that won’t gather dust on my bookshelf — I shall be consulting it often."

"Your 'Accents & Dialects for Stage & Screen' is a fabulous resource for anyone involved in dialect training for actors — I know of no other contemporary work to compare with its scope and depth. It’s meticulous, exhaustive, and very well organized into a clear and rational step-by-step approach. Those of us with a background in International Phonetics can be grateful that you’ve done so much of the legwork for us. This is a book that won’t gather dust on my bookshelf — I shall be consulting it often."

https://www.paulmeier.com/testimonials/11305/

"Being a working actor can be a lonely business: the preparation, the hours of digging to find your character — his soul, his voice. But your comprehensive book linked to the resources on your Website and IDEA now make the job seem less isolated. Your meticulous and comprehensive study has given us an invaluable tool with which to tackle our craft. When I was presented with seven characters in 'Catch 22,' I was initially daunted. I am a Brit, and here were seven Americans to be presented in their own country. I was lost and overwhelmed, … and then I found your book, and through your calm and clear guidance, I found their voices. Thank you, Paul."

Richard Sheridan Willis, Actor, Toronto, Canada

2017-10-21T15:38:21+00:00

Richard Sheridan Willis, Actor, Toronto, Canada

"Being a working actor can be a lonely business: the preparation, the hours of digging to find your character — his soul, his voice. But your comprehensive book linked to the resources on your Website and IDEA now make the job seem less isolated. Your meticulous and comprehensive study has given us an invaluable tool with which to tackle our craft. When I was presented with seven characters in 'Catch 22,' I was initially daunted. I am a Brit, and here were seven Americans to be presented in their own country. I was lost and overwhelmed, … and then I found your book, and through your calm and clear guidance, I found their voices. Thank you, Paul."